:=: Sadie :=:

It was Saturday, and she was having lunch with Ash again. They'd had lunch in the cafeteria together every day this week, and they'd hung out after school too. Now they were at the mall, sitting together in the food court.

Sadie got the meal deal #3 from the sushi place, and Ash had a little cup of soup and a plate of chow mein from the Chinese counter.

"I've never been able to figure out chopsticks." Ash confessed, as he watched Sadie manipulate them like a pro.

She shrugged, "You can learn. It's not magic or anything."

He looked doubtful, as he fished the lone wonton out of his soup and started munching on it.

Sadie picked up another California roll and dipped it in soy sauce then popped it in her mouth. As she was chewing, she found herself staring at her friend.

For the hundredth time this week, she thought about what Amanda said back on Monday. She really had changed a lot already. Was she changing more? Was she becoming interested in Ash? Or were they just becoming better friends?

Eventually she realized he'd noticed she was staring. Sadie blushed, "Uh, sorry. I was just...thinking about some stuff."

Ash shrugged and smiled a little, "It's ok. I was thinking about stuff too."

Sadie frowned. What did he mean by that? Was he thinking about her? Did he know she was thinking about him?

Before she could respond, he got up and switched seats. He went from sitting across from her, to sitting next to her. It made it easier to talk, but harder to look at each other.

"Hey Sadie?" he asked quietly. "Can I ask you something personal?"

Sadie felt her heart starting to race a little. Was he about to ask her out? And if he did, what would she say?

"Uh... Ok." Sadie replied slowly. "What is it?"

Ash seemed a little hesitant or maybe a bit nervous, as he asked quietly, "Is it true about your little sister? Is she trans?"

Sadie blinked. That was so far from what she'd been expecting, it took her several seconds to mentally change gears so she could deal with that topic.

She finally answered quietly, "That's not really a 'personal question' for me. That's family stuff." She paused, then added, "It's not really a secret, but it's not something we go around announcing either. I mean, it's not a big deal to us? It's just, something that happened last summer."

Her friend was quiet for a few moments, then he asked, "But I mean, you're all ok with it? Your family?"

Sadie shrugged, "Sure. She's my sister. She's the same person as she always was. The only thing that changed really was her name?"

She wasn't sure where Ash was going with this. Like if he was trying to get a rise out of her, or if he was looking for details, or something to gossip about. She didn't think he was like that though, and she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

There was something in his voice as Ash said, "I mean, her name's not the only thing that changed right? There's pronouns, clothes, and like, eventually hormones and surgery..."

Sadie pulled back a little and frowned at her friend. Was he going to try to cause problems for Jenny? There was no chance in hell she'd side with him over her little sister. She was still frowning at him as she asked, with a challenging tone in her voice "Do you have a problem with trans people?"

His eyes widened and Ash quickly shook his head, "No! Not at all! I didn't mean to sound like that, sorry!"

Sadie relaxed a little. His reaction looked genuine, he even seemed upset that she was questioning him about that.

With his voice quieter again, he said "I just meant, like going from a boy to a girl and all... It's more than just a name."

She responded with another little shrug, "Well, she was twelve when she came out. So it's not like she was a 'man' or whatever. It just means she gets to grow up as a girl, instead of having to be a guy then trying to change later. That's what I meant, about it not being that big a difference."

Ash nodded, "She's pretty lucky. I mean, that your family's so understanding? That she could do all that, get started right away and all."

"Yeah." Sadie agreed. "To be honest, it was really rough for the first couple weeks... Like, it wasn't instant acceptance. There were some, uh, arguments and stuff." She could feel her cheeks starting to turn a bit pink as she remembered how she'd acted, and how aunt Maria had put her in her place. "But we all came around, and supported her fully, as a family."

"Nice." Ash nodded.

Sadie smiled, "Yeah. And she's a great kid, a great little sister."

Ash didn't have any more questions about Jenny, and the two finished their lunches without much more discussion.

After they were both done eating, Sadie smiled. "Ok, now it's my turn to ask you a personal question."

Ash blushed a little, "Uh, ok...?"

"How'd you get 'Ash' as a nickname?" Sadie asked. "I mean, I don't think it has anything to do with 'Gord' or 'Nesbitt', so... Middle name?"

"There's a couple different stories." he smiled. "Some people think it's from a videogame, a character I used to play a lot in a game. Or other people think it's from one time my family was camping when I was little, and I fell in the firepit and got covered in ash and stuff."

Sadie grinned, "So those are the stories. What's the real answer?"

Ash hesitated, looking thoughtful and uncertain, and slowly sipped his drink for a bit.

Finally, he leaned closer and whispered. "You have to swear to keep this to yourself, ok Sadie? No-one else knows the truth."

Sadie nodded, "I swear, I won't tell anyone."

Ash still looked hesitant. He had another sip of his drink, and frowned slightly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Sadie whispered. "If it's something you want to keep private..."

He shook his head, then leaned close again and whispered. "It's short for Ashley. That's going to be my new name, when I change it..."

Sadie's eyes went wide and she pulled back a little, staring at her friend.

"That's why you were curious about Jenny?"

Ash nodded, blushing. "Yeah..."

She asked, "Do your folks know?"

Ash nodded again with a deep sigh. "Yeah. They won't let me do anything till I'm eighteen."

"Fuck!" Sadie sighed. It felt like she'd just been hit in the gut. She knew exactly what that situation was like, and what it probably felt like for her friend. "Ash, I'm so sorry..."

"It is what it is," she shrugged. "I'll be eighteen soon enough. Less than fourteen months away, then they won't be able to stop me."

Sadie leaned closer again and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. As she was holding her, she whispered, "Would you like me to start calling you Ashley? Or use different pronouns for you?"

She could feel her shiver slightly, but she whispered back, "No... It's awkward and stuff. I guess I'm still in the closet. Till I turn eighteen... Thanks for asking, though."

Sadie sighed, "I wish there was something I could do to help."

She shrugged, "Thanks for being supportive, Sadie. It's just... It's a bit of a relief to have a friend who knows. Thanks for not like, freaking out or getting upset or whatever."

Sadie gave her a warm smile, "Thanks for trusting me. If there's anything I can do, or you just want to talk, I'm here for you." She added, "I can be a good listener too, you know?"

Ash smiled, "Thanks Sadie."

:=: Ashley :=:

Ash was lost in thought, staring down at the sidewalk as it passed by under her feet.

She and Sadie had spent most of the afternoon hanging out at the mall, then they'd rode the bus home together. Their places were in opposite directions from the bus-stop though, so they'd said goodbye there. She was already looking forward to seeing her again at school on Monday.

For now though, she was still feeling a little shakey. Telling Sadie her secret... That had been huge. She wasn't even sure if she knew how huge that was. No-one else knew. Only her mom and dad, and they... Well they hadn't kicked her out of the house or anything. They even claimed they were being supportive. But yeah, it really hadn't gone so great with them.

Ashley knew it could have been much worse, but it also could have been much better. The way Sadie's family had supported Jenny was a perfect example of how much better things could have been.

Still, it was only fourteen more months. Just over a year. It wasn't that bad, she tried to convince herself.

Instead of dwelling on that, she thought more about her friend. She was starting to feel a bit weird about her. Ash liked Sadie, a lot. But she knew Sadie wasn't into guys, and she knew that for the next year or so, that's all she was going to be to her.

Sadie was gorgeous, smart, she had a good fashion sense and she knew how to do her make-up so it was pretty but still subtle. Not like a lot of the other girls at school, who Ash thought tended to overdo it. In some ways Sadie actually seemed more mature than most of the other girls, and pretty much all of the guys too for that matter.

She doubted Sadie would stay single for very long. She sure wouldn't stay single long enough for her to transition. She just hoped that whoever Sadie wound up with, they'd treat her a lot better than that bitch Lucy.

Soon she was heading up the front steps and into her house. She made a bee-line for her room, and slumped onto her bed.

Staring at the ceiling, Ash let herself daydream a little. If she could be Ashley, maybe Sadie would want to be more than friends... Maybe not, though. Even if she was open-minded and accepting of her little sister, and of Ash as a friend, she still might not be comfortable with a trans girlfriend...

Not that it mattered. She sighed again. It wasn't gonna happen. Not any time soon.

She wound up just laying there daydreaming, till eventually her mom called her to come for dinner.

:=: Sadie :=:

Sadie lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was almost midnight, but she couldn't sleep.

She hadn't eaten much at dinner again. Partially because she'd had a good lunch at the mall, but partially because she was still thinking about Ash and the problems she was facing.

Sadie looked down at her phone in her hand. She'd been thinking about texting Ash all evening. She didn't really know what she wanted to say, though. She really just wanted to talk with her, let her know she wasn't alone.

She also just wanted to talk to her. She was starting to accept that she actually did like her, but now that was even more complicated than before. At first she thought maybe she was just in denial, that maybe she was starting to like guys after all.

But now, she wasn't sure if that was true, or maybe she'd somehow sensed Ash wasn't actually a guy? Or maybe that was just a lie she was telling herself to try and justify how she was feeling in the first place. Gah! Why did everything have to be so complicated!

Sadie tried to push her own confused feelings aside for now. She focused again on everything Ash had told her this afternoon, about her own situation. After she'd revealed her secret during lunch, the two had wandered around the mall for a couple hours, and she'd asked her lots more questions.

Ash's answers had left her feeling more uncertain. Her parents acted like they were being supportive, but Sadie knew that was a lie. She was positive Ash knew it too.

And she tried to stay optimistic, she seemed so certain that as soon has she was eighteen everything would just be smooth sailing. Ash knew what the medical and physiological challenges were, but she seemed oblivious to the possibility of more potential roadblocks from her family.

Sadie couldn't tell her why, but she had a bad feeling that in a little over a year, Ash's parents would find some other way to make her wait.

When she'd been in the position of Ash's parents, faced with the prospect of Jenny wanting to transition, she had wanted to put it off till Jenny turned eighteen. She'd hoped the kid would grow out of it, or forget about it. And if that hadn't happened, she knew she'd probably have found some other excuse to make her wait even longer.

She knew from all the material she'd read last summer how expensive it would be to transition. The hormones, laser or electrolysis for hair removal, not to mention the surgery. It was all costly. The easiest way Ash's folks could continue to stonewall her would just be to refuse to help pay for anything at all.

And if they wanted to be really nasty about it, they could refuse to let her transition as long as she wanted to live with them.

Sadie sighed again, then frowned. It was so damned unfair!

She'd only had to deal with those feelings for a month. She hadn't been bothered by dysphoria or feeling trans for most of her life. Then one month last summer she suffered with it, and then aunt Maria and her witch friends had granted her wish.

Sadie finally decided, she had to do something. She'd been incredibly lucky, so had Jenny. She couldn't do anything herself to help Ash, not directly, but she knew someone who could.

Maybe it was fate or something. Kismet, that Lucy had dumped her last week, and then Ash had come to talk with her on Monday at lunch. Whatever it was, Sadie wouldn't let her down. She'd call aunt Maria in the morning. If she could convince her aunt to help, that would solve everything.

:=: Maria :=:

"Thanks for meeting me, aunt Maria." Sadie smiled.

"Of course, Sadie." Maria smiled back as she slipped into the booth across from her niece. "I was a little surprised though when you called this morning. Is everything ok? Your mom, sisters, all ok?"

She didn't mind visiting with Sadie or anyone else in her niece's family, but it was a bit unusual to get a call out of the blue on a Sunday morning, asking to meet right away. And Maria had seen them all just a few weeks ago at Easter, so she knew this had to be about something that had come up recently.

"Yeah, they're all good." Sadie nodded. "Mom's doing well at work and stuff. Actually, I think she might have met a guy?" Sadie grinned. "Though she's trying to keep it quiet for now. But there's been a few times in the past month or two where she's had to 'work late', then she's seemed a little extra happy when she's come home." Sadie smirked.

Maria couldn't keep the surprise off her face, both at the news, and at the way Sadie delivered it. She asked quietly, "How do you feel about that?"

Her niece shrugged, "I'm happy for her? Like, I was worried at first that she'd be lonely and stuff. You know, with uh, her husband gone and all that... But she seemed ok, she wasn't too upset or whatever. And now, yeah, if she's met someone, then I'm happy for her."

Before Maria could respond, Sadie smirked again and added "On the other hand, if she's just like, out 'getting some' now and then, well, that's ok too. Like, I just want her to be happy, you know?"

Maria was again surprised, but nodded, "That's a very healthy attitude to have."

Sadie was still smirking a little, and whispered, "What, did you think I'd be jealous or something?"

Maria replied softly, "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. Your family's situation isn't the sort of thing they teach us about in 'psychology school'..."

Sadie giggled, putting a hand over her mouth to try and keep quiet.

Maria just smiled. She wondered though if Sadie's feelings on the subject might change, if Liz were to ever bring a man home. Or if she ever decided to remarry.

Still, from the sound of it, that's not what Sadie wanted to talk with her about.

The waitress came by and took their drinks orders, and the two spent a few minutes looking at their menus. Then after they'd ordered lunch, Maria looked at her niece. "I'm enjoying spending the time with you Sadie, and getting caught up on your mother's uh, activities. But I'm curious if there was a reason you wanted to see me? When you called, you made it sound somewhat urgent?"

Sadie nodded and sighed. "Yeah. I have a friend at school, who confided in me yesterday... She's trans, but in the closet for now. Her parents won't let her transition till she's eighteen. I get the feeling her folks are being like uh... Like I was..." She sighed again, frowning.

Maria nodded but stayed quiet for now. She could tell there was more coming.

"So she seems really optimistic that as soon as she's eighteen, she'll be able to just dive in and everything will work out fine. I'm worried though, like if her folks are making her wait like this, then they'll just find some other way to gatekeep her. I mean... If they're like I used to be..." She sounded a little ashamed as she admitted, "That's exactly the sort of shitty-ass thing I'd have done..."

Maria nodded again, frowning a little.

Sadie then finished "I mean, the obvious stuff that comes to mind, would be like they'd refuse to help pay for meds and stuff. Or worse, they could threaten to kick her out if she tried to do anything on her own..."

Maria sighed. "Ok, I get the picture. And you're telling me all of this, because of my connection to the support group, so your friend can get some help that way? Or are you telling me this because of my... Other connections?"

Sadie was silent for a few moments as the waitress delivered their food, then once they were alone again she whispered, "Duh! I wanna know if you can magic her up a new life!"

Maria frowned, "You haven't told your friend about that, have you?"

Sadie rolled her eyes, "Of course not! I've never said a word about that to anyone outside our family." She then explained, "Ash only confided in me cos she knew Jenny's trans, and she knew we'd all accepted and supported her and stuff."

Maria nodded, and started eating quietly. After a few minutes, she said softly, "Ok. You know I can't change her whole life... I could change her, but that won't help her with her family, or the school, or anything else... And I can't make any promises on behalf of the others..."

She thought for a few moments, then said, "We should probably arrange a meeting, and then we can let her know about magic, and make her the offer... Somewhere private of course."

Sadie nodded as she was eating, then suggested, "I could invite her over to our house, and meet you there? We could skip school, like during a weekday? So my mom and sisters would be out and all, we'd have the house to ourselves."

Maria frowned, "I don't think I should be encouraging you to cut classes, Sadie. I'm sure Liz wouldn't approve..."

"Well mom wouldn't have to know, right?" Sadie grinned. Then her grin became a smirk as she whispered, "Anyways it's not like I haven't passed all these classes once before, right sis?"

Maria didn't respond to that. She'd mostly gotten used to Sadie being her niece, and the teen girl sitting across from her was so unlike David it was easy to overlook the fact that she'd once been him. Maria still couldn't help feel a little awkward though, whenever she was reminded that the teenage girl in the cute skirt and blouse and with the perfect make-up was once her older brother.

Instead, Maria fished her phone out of her purse and opened the calendar app. She had a look at her schedule, then suggested, "How about Wednesday afternoon? I'll leave the whole afternoon open for you. You and your friend get somewhere private, then send me a text. I'll come over and we'll have a talk."

Sadie grinned, "Thanks aunt Maria! You're the best!"

Maria smiled back, "I try."

As the two of them continued eating Maria asked, "Apart from that, how's everything else going?"

Sadie replied with a sigh, "Still lonely sometimes. I still don't have a lot of friends... And I guess you remember me talking about Lucy when you were over at Easter? She uh... She dumped me a week ago."

"Oh," Maria frowned. "I'm sorry Sadie."

"It's ok... I'm starting to feel better again." Sadie shrugged. She then blushed a little and added, "I uh, I think I kind of like Ash... I was starting to feel that way before I knew she was trans. Now that I know... I guess it hasn't changed anything."

Maria tried to hide her surprise. She asked, "Does she feel the same for you?"

Sadie sighed, frowning. "I don't know... Maybe?"

Maria smiled slightly, "Have you asked her?"

Sadie shook her head, "No, I don't wanna make things weird between us if she's not interested. Especially since she told me her secret yesterday."

Maria just nodded, and the two ate a bit more in silence.

As they were finishing their lunch, Sadie asked, "Aunt Maria, can I ask you something?" She added, "It won't change anything now, it's just something I've been curious about."

"Of course," Maria nodded. "What is it, Sadie?"

The girl hesitated a bit, frowning, as if she was trying to figure out how to phrase things.

Finally she said in a soft voice, "Before you did that spell on me last June... I'd never had any like, trans thoughts or whatever. Like, nothing. I'd never once thought about being a girl... And when you first changed me, I hated it. I was really angry and stuff? But by the time you came to change me back, it actually wasn't that bad..." She hesitated again, then asked the question. "Did your magic make me want to be a girl?"

Maria sighed, she could feel her cheeks going red, and her lunch was suddenly starting to feel a little heavy in her stomach. She had a sip of water, then replied softly, "Sadie, I'm sorry. I promise, I didn't know when I used the spell. I had no idea, I didn't find out until it was too late..."

She took a deep breath, then explained quietly. "Apparently there's something about that spell. I had expected you to feel like a trans man - a man stuck with a female body? I'd expected you to feel dysphoria about it. Instead, something about that spell, it makes people accept the physical changes... I came over to undo it as soon as I found out..." She sighed a little, and added, "If I'd waited another couple days, you might have wanted to just stay like that."

Sadie nodded slowly, and drank some of her soda. Then she admitted, "By the time you came to undo it...the only thing I was unhappy about was my age. Like, I didn't like being a kid... I wanted to be a bit older? But I didn't really want to go back to being a guy..."

She added, "And later, when mom and I were discussing stuff, she's the one who suggested making me Amanda's age. I'm pretty sure she thought I'd reject that for being too young, but honestly I kinda jumped at it... Twelve was too young, but sixteen sounded like it would be just right."

"Oh..." Maria hesitated, then asked "And how do you feel about it now?"

"It's perfect," Sadie smiled. "Of course, it's also been like nine months or whatever, so I'm totally used to it. But yeah. This is me, and I'm happy." She smiled wider, "So, thanks aunt Maria."

Maria smiled slightly, but she was feeling guilty again about what she'd done to her brother.

Sadie added softly, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell mom, or anyone else. I was just curious. And I'm not upset or anything. I mean it when I say I'm happy like this."

"Thank you Sadie." Maria sighed, "I'm still going to feel guilty about the situation for a while yet, but its not your fault."

Her niece looked thoughtful for a few moments, then smiled.

"You did what you had to do, to help Jenny. And now it's put me in a position where maybe I can get you to help Ashley too. I think it was more than worth it, aunt Maria."